Washington -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison knew her window to run for president had closed .

That moment passed when then-Gov . George W. Bush , a fellow Texas Republican , ran for and won the presidency in 2000 and served two terms , the lawmaker told CNN . She was a senator with aspirations to a higher office who was also in the process of adopting two children .

`` The timing was n't right for me . Even if he served four years , then maybe . But eight years and Texas fatigue . Then I had children , so ... , '' she said , her voice trailing off .

Wednesday marks the 95th anniversary of Congress ' approval of the 19th amendment to the Constitution , guaranteeing women the right to vote . But all these years later , no woman has ever been named a major party 's presidential nominee .

The path to the presidency is especially challenging for Republican women and it contrasts sharply with Democrats who -- as buzz grows around Hillary Clinton -- may be poised to nominate the first female presidential candidate of either major party .

Primary problems : GOP women struggle to come out on top

Four of the five women who are currently governors are Republicans , and four of the past six presidents previously were governors . Still , GOP women 's names are seldom mentioned among top-tier potential presidential hopefuls for 2016 .

Sure , nods are given to retiring Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann 's failed 2012 presidential bid . And there 's a perennial hope among some conservatives that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will run , though she 's said she has no interest in the position .

But when mention is made of Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina , Gov. Susana Martinez of New Mexico , or New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte , it 's often couched as `` she would make such a good running mate , '' not in a way that is on par with male candidates , former Sen. Olympia Snowe , R-Maine , told CNN .

`` Women should naturally be considered for the highest office in the land , '' Snowe said .

`` The bench is too small ''

Democratic women in Congress far outnumber Republicans -- 16-4 in the 100-seat Senate and 62-17 in the 435-seat House of Representatives . In each of the past 10 election cycles , GOP women have won a smaller percentage of primary elections for U.S. House seats than have their Democratic counterparts , according to a study by Rutgers University 's Center for American Women and Politics , and only twice -- in 1994 and 2010 -- have more Republican than Democratic women run in primaries .

`` It 's the concept of the pipeline . If the women are n't in the offices we draw on for the presidency , the bench is too small to choose from , '' said Debbie Walsh , director of the Rutgers center .

Even when they do seek office , studies have shown that conservative women in particular have had a tougher time getting the networking and financial support -- either from within the party or from outside groups -- needed to mount successful bids , Walsh said . While there are a number of well-heeled groups , such as EMILY 's List , which back candidates with progressive stances , there are fewer such groups targeting conservative women , the Rutgers study found .

SarahPAC , the political action committee of former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin , has supported a number of conservative women candidates , including New Hampshire 's Ayotte in 2010 . This year , the PAC is supporting Joni Ernst , a Senate candidate from Iowa who won her primary on Tuesday , among other women .

SHE PAC , another conservative women 's group , is supporting Mia Love , the former mayor of Saratoga Springs , Utah , in her second bid for the U.S. House . Love narrowly lost in 2012 to incumbent Jim Matheson , who is not seeking re-election . The group is also supporting Monica Wehby , an Oregon physician running for Senate , among other candidates . Both Love and Wehby won their primaries .

CNN Poll : Majority say GOP out of touch with women

The other challenge female candidates to federal office face is an `` ideological shift to the far right among the Republican primary electorate , '' the study found . This shift has meant Republican women who might be moderate on such issues as abortion rights are less likely to survive primary fights in conservative districts .

The results : fewer Republican women headed to Congress and a shallower pool of presidential contenders down the road .

The Republican Party is keenly aware of its problems in both recruiting and supporting female candidates and attracting women voters . The party performed an autopsy of sorts after huge losses among women , minorities and young voters in the 2012 presidential election .

GOP 's soul-searching leads conflicted party to double down

The party concluded it needed to beef up its outreach operations and has spent millions on efforts such as Project GROW , which seeks to identify and support more female candidates for the midterm elections , and `` 14 in 14 , '' a program aimed at wooing more women voters in key states .

`` We 've come together with the other GOP campaign committees ... to set up programs to get more women involved in our party , '' said Kirsten Kukowski , a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee . `` We 've done things like recruit more women operatives to be involved and have a seat at the table with candidates , message-training and specific voter contact efforts . ''

The proof is in the numbers

But some senior Republican women say that despite plenty of lip service paid to elevating women within the party , representation at the federal level is paltry , and the performance trend in primaries shows fewer Republican women are winning in those races than just two decades ago .

`` It 's unfortunate that there 's this attitude and perception within the Republican Party that are more aspirational when it comes to women , '' Snowe said . `` The Republican Party has n't done the groundwork to build a strong bench of Republican women to launch a presidential candidacy . ''

`` Women have to put a step forward '' as well , Snowe said , to better ensure that they are in the running for the nation 's top political post .

Senate balance of power could shift on women candidates

However , doing so involves tough choices , Hutchison said .

`` We do end up with a great amount of responsibility for our families . Being out campaigning for weeks and months at a time is difficult . The women in the Senate struggle with this , with questions of , ` Do you move your children to be with you , or do you leave them back home ? ' '' Hutchison said . `` That makes it harder for us to say , ` Yes , I 'm going to run for president and go to New Hampshire , Iowa , and South Carolina for weeks on end ' -- especially if they are in office already and away from their families . To add that to it is very difficult . ''

`` Whereas , no matter what we say , men have wives and they can leave more easily , '' she said .

Though they may disagree with her political views , Republican women often give Hillary Clinton kudos for her political skill .

`` Republican women have to do what Hillary Clinton is doing . We have to steal the playbook of what she is doing , '' said Crystal Wright , an editor and blogger with ConservativeBlackChick.com .

Winning requires building strong coalitions , fundraising and surrogates , Wright said . `` Look at what Hillary has done in each campaign she has run . ... She 's a good example of a case study for how women should model their efforts for running for office . ''

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So far , there are no women 's names on the GOP 's 2016 presidential short list

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There are more GOP women governors , but fewer congresswomen than Democrats

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GOP trying to recruit and support women who could eventually mount presidential bids

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Rutgers study ; senior GOP female lawmakers say party still has work to do on women front